State and Local

September 11, 2019 — At the request of U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-2nd), the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold an oversight hearing titled, “Examining the Benefits and Potential Challenges for New Jersey’s Growing Offshore Wind Industry,” at Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk, Wildwood, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m.

According to a release, “Offshore wind is critical to meeting our clean energy goals to create good paying jobs and to reduce the threat of climate change. However, our fishermen who have long made their living off these waters need to be taken into account and brought to the table so that their livelihoods are not impaired. This exciting new industry can only succeed if it engages our fishermen in good faith and takes their views and concerns seriously,” Van Drew stated.

September 11, 2019 — Almost a year to the date after Hurricane Florence wreaked havoc in North Carolina’s fishing communities, Hurricane Dorian started its march toward the same target.

The week-long trek up the Southeast coastline had North Carolina’s fishermen pulling boats and removing gear from the waters. For most the effort paid off, with the aftermath proving to be little more than a cleanup and of course, precious time lost on the water.

Some were not as fortunate. Ocracoke Island, a barrier island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks near where Dorian made landfall Sept. 6, took the brunt and experienced catastrophic flooding with widespread destruction of property.

September 10, 2019 — A Hawaiian fish farming company wants to expand into the Gulf of Mexico near Sarasota, Fla., prompting opposition from some fishing associations and environmental groups.

Although it’s only proposed as a demonstration project, such a plan pits the company’s desire to increase the local seafood supply against commercial fishing interests and some environmental groups, which believe industrial fish farms do more harm than good in the long run.

The proposed project comes as ocean fish-farming has been restricted to existing operations in Denmark and limited to native fish species in Washington state because of problems with pollution and escaping fish.

September 10, 2019 — Maine is considering a scallop fishing season that would allow fishermen to harvest levels of the shellfish similar to last year.

The state’s scallop season takes place in the winter and spring and provides some of the most valuable seafood in Maine. The Maine Department of Marine Resources says daily possession limits would remain the same as last season.

The state is also seeking to close some areas along the coast to allow the scallop population to rebuild. That includes eastern Casco Bay and Upper Sheepscot River.

Luttrell, 67, who lived in Marysville, Washington, passed away while visiting his family ranch in Roseburg, Oregon. A cause of death will not be discovered until an autopsy can be conducted, James Davis, shop manager for Kinematics, told SeafoodSource.

September 10, 2019 — A roiling debate over how to reduce the annual harvest of striped bass along the Atlantic Seaboard to allow the species to recover from years of overfishing has pitted various fishermen against each other and sparked heated exchanges in online venues — and, last week, in a public hearing with federal fisheries managers.

Hundreds packed into a meeting room at Bethpage State Park last week to offer their views on a battery of options that marine biologists have laid out; they say each would reduce the number of dead striped bass — one of the nation’s most economically important fish stocks — by up to 18 percent per year. The goal is to help the stock recover to what scientists say are necessary levels by 2023.

The battle over how to proceed has focused primarily on what restrictions should be placed on recreational fishermen, who account for about 90 percent of the striped bass harvest, though the extent to which commercial fishermen should share in the cuts also is on the table.

September 9, 2019 — The Portland marine science lab that first told the world the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than almost any other part of the ocean is launching a virtual climate center that will focus on finding solutions to the challenges related to ocean warming.

Under this virtual banner, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute hopes to leverage its science and educational expertise to help fishermen, policymakers, and coastal communities in Maine and around the world deal with the consequences of rising ocean temperatures.

“We’ve spent the last decade identifying warming trends and associated challenges,” said Don Perkins, a Maine native who has been at GMRI’s helm for almost 25 years. “We’ll spend the next decade identifying solutions to some of those challenges and helping coastal communities adapt to a warming future.”

September 9, 2019 — An opinion piece by former Gov. Paul LePage published in the Wall Street Journal criticizes federal officials for proposing restrictions on the lobstering industry that fishermen say would put them out of business.

LePage writes that the restrictions required by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association would not actually reduce the number of right whale deaths in the Gulf of Maine because, he says, “No whale deaths due to entanglements or ship strikes have been recorded in Maine waters since 1998.”

However, in September 2016, the Portland Press Herald reported that NOAA officials concluded the death of a 43-foot right whale found floating off Boothbay Harbor was most likely caused by entanglement in fishing gear ropes.

September 9, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA):

On Monday, September 16, 2019 at 10:00 A.M., the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the US House Committee on Natural Resources will hold an oversight hearing titled, “Examining the Benefits and Potential Challenges for New Jersey’s Growing Offshore Wind Industry.”

September 6, 2019 — About 40 people combined showed up for the first two public hearings on Draft Addendum VI to a fishery management plan, a measure that’s calling for an 18 percent reduction in the coastwide striped bass harvest.

The first hearing on Tuesday in Roselle Park had only eight people. Tom Fote, one of three New Jersey commissioners to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, or ASMFC, said they counted 30 people at Wednesday’s hearing in Ocean City.

While these draft hearings are going on up and down the Atlantic seaboard from North Carolina to Maine, New Jersey fishermen only have one more crack at speaking their piece on the issue in person.